(Okay legitimately, I have students impersonating Michael Jackson all of the time now. Who would have thought? And speaking of music- lyrics come from Midlake- such good music. Lorah, a thousand thanks for your thoughtfulness. Your mixes forever get me by.) So- I have taken quite the one-month hiatus in writing, and for this I hope you can all forgive me! Here’s into my mind, if you dare:
The swine flu has hit Surat Thani town (don’t worry, I’m not infected), but as a result our after school classes have been cancelled for a few weeks. So, upon my early return to the house today, I plopped myself down on the sofa and began catching up on my Newsweek. (I can hardly believe M.J. is gone!) Within 5 minutes (at about 3:00), my front porch was flooded with young school children. They were playing card games, having snacks, all on MY very front porch. I wasn’t bothered, and actually found myself thankful for the company. But, I began thinking how very strange it is. And I thought to myself, something like this would probably never happen back home. Your space is your space, your front porch is your own. And well, there’s not really anything wrong with that to a certain degree- it’s just the way it has come to be, right?
But then the wheels started turning, as they do. What other attitudes have changed in me since I’ve begun living in this country? I think I’ve become much more open. I don’t believe that I was a particularly closed person before, but when you’re thrown into a situation in which pretty much everyone is different from you (in attitudes, language, etc.), you have to adapt. You simply have to- to survive physically and I think, more importantly, emotionally. I’m even referring to the Western people I am surrounded with. This is the first time in my life that I haven’t had the option of choosing my friends- they were just here upon my arrival! I’ve realized that I have always tended to surround myself with people that are like me. (Good looking, funny, you know. Hah! Joke.) But it’s true. And again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s important to be surrounded by people whose values are similar to yours. I can’t imagine a life without friends who love God, justice, friends who have shared in my experiences, and things of the like. But now, being here, lacking those familiar friendships, I’ve been stretched. And I’ve found there is actually much to be learned from everyone I know.
The swine flu has hit Surat Thani town (don’t worry, I’m not infected), but as a result our after school classes have been cancelled for a few weeks. So, upon my early return to the house today, I plopped myself down on the sofa and began catching up on my Newsweek. (I can hardly believe M.J. is gone!) Within 5 minutes (at about 3:00), my front porch was flooded with young school children. They were playing card games, having snacks, all on MY very front porch. I wasn’t bothered, and actually found myself thankful for the company. But, I began thinking how very strange it is. And I thought to myself, something like this would probably never happen back home. Your space is your space, your front porch is your own. And well, there’s not really anything wrong with that to a certain degree- it’s just the way it has come to be, right?
But then the wheels started turning, as they do. What other attitudes have changed in me since I’ve begun living in this country? I think I’ve become much more open. I don’t believe that I was a particularly closed person before, but when you’re thrown into a situation in which pretty much everyone is different from you (in attitudes, language, etc.), you have to adapt. You simply have to- to survive physically and I think, more importantly, emotionally. I’m even referring to the Western people I am surrounded with. This is the first time in my life that I haven’t had the option of choosing my friends- they were just here upon my arrival! I’ve realized that I have always tended to surround myself with people that are like me. (Good looking, funny, you know. Hah! Joke.) But it’s true. And again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s important to be surrounded by people whose values are similar to yours. I can’t imagine a life without friends who love God, justice, friends who have shared in my experiences, and things of the like. But now, being here, lacking those familiar friendships, I’ve been stretched. And I’ve found there is actually much to be learned from everyone I know.
I’ve learned to be more wide-eyed and in awe of the world through the attitudes of my little kindergartners. In my roommate Erika, I’ve learned to embrace my emotional personality more than I ever have before. (oh, how we share this!) Through the attitudes of all the Thais, I’ve learned to merely slow down. I wonder, what might my life look like if I looked a little bit deeper into the lives of those around me- even people I don’t particularly get along with- to find their thoughts, ideas, attitudes, that might make my life that much more rich. I don’t claim it’s an easy process, but I’d like to believe that changes in our lives and attitudes are often a marker of progress. But you’ve got to allow yourself to be challenged first, in order to be changed. And what’s so bad about challenging and relating with each other? There’s a bit of good in all of us, I believe.I like what Lord Chesterfield has to say about all of this, “You must look into other people as well as at them.” The next person you meet- ask about their life, who they are, what they know. Look into their lives, really look, and tell me what you see.
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